AIM SrlVia Cavalcanti, 8 20063 Cernusco S/N (Mi)ItaliaTel. (+39) 02-9290571Fax (+39) 02-92118024

www.aim-sportline.com

U.S. OFFICES

AIM SPORTS LLC31889 Corydon, Suite 130 Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 U.S.A.AIM SPORTS LLC SE1636 9th St. SE Unit BRoanoke, VA 24013U.S.A.

Toll Free 1.800.718.9090www.aimsports.com

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Thank You.

Siamo molto orgogliosi che la vostra fiducianei nostri prodotti vi abbia fatto preferire ilnuovo Lap Timer GPS Solo.

Solo è il risultato di migliaia di ore di lavorodi una continua ricerca tecnologica di unagrande passione per le competizioni spor-tive e di una provata esperienza maturatasulle piste di tutto il mondo a fianco di pilotie tecnici specializzati in acquisizione e ana-lisi dei dati e della telemetria.

Abbiamo voluto che Solo fosse piccolo, pre-ciso, potente ma soprattutto esagerata-mente comodo per rispondere a tutte lerichieste di una utenza preparata ed esi-gente.

Solo è semplice da installare e ancora piùfacile da usare, è uno strumento affidabilee preciso, indispensabile per monitorare eregistrare le vostre migliori perfomances.

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INTRODUCTION

INCLUDED ITEMS AND INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES

SOLO AT A GLANCE

POWERING AND CONNECTING SOLO

SOLO/SOLODL POWERING ON

SOLO CONFIGURATION

RACE STUDIO SOFTWARE

TRACK MANAGEMENT

USE OF SOLO DURING THE TESTS

DATA RECALL

DATA DOWNLOAD ON THE PC AND DATA ANALYSIS THROUGH RACE STUDIO2

SOLODL CONNECTION WITH SMARTYCAM

SOLO TEAM

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INTRODUCTION

What is Solo?Solo is an automatic lap timerbased on GPS technology.

What does it do? Solo locates its GPS position,identifies the track from the internal list of the main worldtracks and starts automaticallysampling lap times.

If the track is not in the database?It can be easily added.

Types of tracks?Circuits, hill climbs, regularity,point to point races, performance tests. Solo can fit all situations with asimple keyboard configuration.

What else?Speed, accelerations, braking… all the details you need whileracing, a powerful data reviewimmediately after and… noneed for a track engineer, nocomplicated sensors noexpensive wirings.

Is there more?An elder brother, SoloDL.Additional features: with aneasy connection, it can read alldata coming from your EngineControl Unit. Two systems, same logic: maximum amount of informationwith minimum effort. The ECU connection is reallyvery simple, and the information available is veryuseful.

Who wants more?You can connect SoloDL toSmartyCam, AIM on- board camera, and then you have avideo with high precisionfigures.

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Included items

SOLO

• Solo (1)• Solo USB cable (2)• USB/AC power adapter (3)• Solo power cable with 2m wired car lighter socket (4)

• Mounting bracket with screws (5)• Software installation CD (9)

SOLO DL

Kit for stock cars with stock ECUs OBDII (K Line/CAN)

• SoloDL (6)• USB cable (2)• USB/AC power adapter (3)• 2m OBDII/power cable (7)• Mounting bracket with screws (5)• Software installation CD (9)

Kit for racing cars with aftermarket ECUs(CAN/RS232)

• SoloDL (6)• USB cable (2)• USB/AC power adapter (3)• 4m CAN/RS232 ECU harness (8)• Mounting bracket with screws (5)• Software installation CD (9)

CHAPTER 1 INCLUDED ITEMS AND INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES

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Installation Accessories

Solo can be installed in a variety of waysdepending on the application and yourpreferences.

CHAPTER 1 INCLUDED ITEMS AND INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES

Suction cup bracket kit with screws; part number X46KSVS00.

Handlebar bracket kit accommodating barsfrom 0.5” to 2.0’’ diameter; part number: X46KSTG00.

Double bar bracket kit with U bolt for barsfrom 0.75’’ to 1.25’’ diameter.Metallic wrap for pipes from 1.57’’ to 3.15’’diameter; part number: X46KSTP00.

Outlined below are several mounting optionsavailable for application-specific installations:

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Understanding Solo

Solo most important feature is to showyour Lap Times. The calculation is done using the GPS posi-tion of your vehicle and the track starting line.Solo calculates the position of your vehicle

CHAPTER 2 SOLO AT A GLANCE

ten times per second, and interpolates thenearest position to the starting line withvery high precision.

Where do startline GPS info come from?Of course, for obtaining lap Times, Solo hasto know the Starting Line Coordinates.

This can be done in three different ways:

ENTER TRACK DATABASE

SHOWS ALL TRACKS STOREDIN SOLO MEMORY

SHOWS ALL TRACKS AVAILABLEIN A 5KM RADIUS

Please, take note that if you are running aPoint to Point race, you have to define TWOdifferent points: Start and Finish.

2. You can define the starting point of the track by going to the startingline and setting the desired point. (see chapter 7)

3. You can define the same startingpoint by the Track Manager feature of Aim software Race Studio 2.(see chapter 7)

Finally, if you run a Performance Test, likea “Drag” contest, no starting point coordinates are needed: Solo will start andstop the test automatically.

1. Solo comes with a wide list of tracks. You can check them pressing>>> or <<< until the page below onthe left appears; pressing VIEW buttonyou enter the page shown on the right;

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Display, and ButtonsSolo is equipped with a 128x64 pixel graphical display and a built-in brilliant backlight.

Press any of the four buttons and the specific menu items will appear (for four seconds) above each of the buttons.

you can lock the imageMENU>>Display Setup>>Keyboardand select Locked.

GPS AntennaThe integrated GPS antenna is located on thetop of Solo. In order to mitigate any possibleGPS signal interference, avoid positioninganything directly over the GPS antenna.

SOLO AT A GLANCE

USB PortSolo uses USB connection for:

• Battery charging• Receiving configuration ( SoloDL) and track list upgrade

• Data download to PC• Firmware upgrades

To access the USB port, slide the lock on thewaterproof USB door down and the doorwill open revealing the USB port.

ConnectorsSolo features a single connector located onthe bottom, which is used when poweringthe system from a 12V source.

SoloDL features two connectors on the bot-tom of the system: one to connect to Aim’sexternal CAN expansion (for example Smar-tyCam – see Chapter 11) and the second is used for ECU connection andpower (bottom right image). Please, take note that the external powercan be received from the first or the secondconnector.

CHAPTER 2

GPS ANTENNA

USB PORT

ON/OFF

DISPLAY

CONNECTOR

MAGNET

THREAD INSERT

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Mounting PointsYou can mount Solo to the included bracket using the two integrated magnets. This solution allows you to quickly and easily install and remove Solo.

For more permanent installations, you can secure Solo using the four included inserts(bottom image).

SOLO AT A GLANCE

Solo Working ModesYou can configure Solo in order to optimize its activity in dependence upon the typology ofthe track and of your race: The tracks can be in a Closed Circuit or in a Pont to Point track, i.e. rallye or DownHill races.

The typology of your race can be:

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Regularity Where you have to maintain a certain constant lap time.

PerformanceWhere you evaluate the performance ofyour vehicle in an acceleration on a straight,that can be, for example, 0-100 km/h, 0-1/4mile etc.

SpeedA normal race in circuit.

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Powering Solo/SoloDL

Solo can be powered by the internal rechargeable battery or by an external 12Volt source, using the provided powercable with 2m wired car lighter socket.

POWERING AND CONNECTING SOLO

ECU Connection (SoloDL only)

SoloDL receives the engine parametersfrom the ECU of your vehicle. You can choose between two differentconnections to the ECU:

You can recharge the internal lithium battery through the power socket orthrough a PC using the provided USB cable.

CHAPTER 3

Documentation about a wide range of ECUprotocols and connections is available at ourwebsite www.aim-sportline.com >> DownloadArea >> ECU section.

2. CAN/RS232 connection: typically usedin race car installations.

In this case the connection is more complexand has to be followed by expert technicians and strictly depends upon theECU you have on your car. Please note: in these installations, theexternal power has to be connected to thecar battery through the vehicles main isolation switch.

1. OBDII that is typically used in mostmanufactures stock cars.

The connection is extremely simple, sincewe take advantage from a standardconnector that is available on all cars pro-duced after 1985. In this case, the power comes from theOBDII connection.

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Sampling GPS Signal

At switch on, Solo starts looking for a GPSsignal. You can see the level of the signal bypressing >>> or <<< until the following page appears:

Please note: for a quick GPS signal acquisition place Solo in the open air sothat a wide part of the sky is visible.

First Power On

At first power on, Solo starts the configuration wizard requiring the following information:

• Language

• Unit of measure (Mph/Kmh)

• Type of race to be performed (speed, regularity or performance in caseof performance test select the kind of performance according to the selectedunit of measure)

• Type of track that the logger is to be usedon: Circuit or Point to Point (except for performance tests)

SOLO/SOLODL POWERING ON

The precision of the system computation(routes and lap times) depends on thenumber of connected satellites.

A good precision is provided with at least 6satellites connected with an optimum precision provided with at least 8 satellitesconnected.A Power On, Solo checks the tracks listed inits memory. In case it finds a track near thecurrent position (within 5 km) it shows theproper track name. Solo will use the position of the beacon andof the split points for all computations.

In case more tracks are near your positionit shows “tracks found”.

You can see them and select one by pushing >>> or <<<or simply run a track lap to permit Solo toidentify which track is being run.

CHAPTER 4

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Please, use AIM Race Studio 2 software toconfigure the track beacon positions and todefine the ECU of your car (for SoloDL only).

Any other parameter will need to be configured by the onboard keyboard.

To enter configuration press MENU.

Race ModesSolo can manage different race modes:Speed, Regularity and Performance. In all situations, it gives the proper time information.To set the type of race, follow this path:

MENU>>Race Mode SetUp.

Speed

This is the usual race or test: you have todrive at the maximum possible speed. The lap time is rolling until the vehicle passes in front of the finish line, where itstops for some seconds.

SOLO CONFIGURATION

Regularity

The rule of regularity races is as follows• the lap time stored after the second passage from starting/finish linebecomes the reference lap;

• the following laps have to be driven in thesame lap time or as close as the referencelap.

Solo will continuously show the predictivelap time, or the difference (+ or -) betweenthe predictive and the target lap time.

Performance tests in detail

In case of Performance tests, the Start Lineis triggered at the increment of Speed,while the Finish line depends upon the se-lected length of test: Available length de-pends on the selected measure units.

If Imperial units are selected it is possible tochoose among:• 1/4 miles;• 1/8 miles;• 0/60 mph;

If the metric units are selected it is possibleto choose among:• 0-100 km/h• 0-160 km/h• 100m• 400m• 1000m

Data recording and time computation startswhen Speed passes from “ZERO” to more than10 km/h. When the set length or speed is rea-ched the display will freeze and then showsthe performance time and max speed.

Circuits and Point toPoint Races

Circuit

Select this Mode when the lap begins andfinishes is at the same point.

Point to Point Race

If you configure Solo in order to managePoint to Point Race, it starts the time (anddata recording) as soon as it passes in frontof the Starting Point and stops the timerand shows the Lap Time when your vehiclepasses from the Finish Line.

Configuration pages

We have already seen that there is a largeamount of information that you can see onyour display, while your vehicle is on thetrack:

• Lap time;• Predictive lap time• Speed• Lap number• Acceleration• GPS signal information• Data coming from the engine via

the ECU. (for SoloDL only).

For showing all these data, Solo has somepre-defined pages, showing pre-organisedfields.

CHAPTER 5

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SOLO CONFIGURATION

You can easily change page by pushing>>> or <<<.

Also, you can freely configure up to 4 Custom Pages, that can show from 1 upto 4 different information.

Every page can be enabled or disabled, so,if you need only two pages, disable all theothers and swap between them, pushing>>> or <<<.

To enable the pages follow this path: MENU >> Display Setup >> Pages Setup>> Enable/Disable Pages.

For creating and managing the CustomPages:

MENU >> Display Setup >> Pages Setup>> Custom Pages Setup.

Set how many custom pages to show, howmany fields to show on every page andconfigure the page.

Below are shown examples of custompages with 1 up to 4 fields.

Units of measure selection

Solo/Solo DL can compute using Decimalor Imperial units of measure.

To set the units of measure, follow this path:MENU >> Set Units and select the Unit ofmeasure required.

Auto power off

Solo automatically powers off after 5 minutes of inactivity (no movement and no button pressed).

Time zone and time/date format settings

Solo can show the date and time in different formats enabling or not legal time. Follow this path MENU >> Set Time/Dateand set:

• Actual Local Time• Daylight Saving Time: OFF/ON• Time format: 24h or 12h• Date format: to be selected among: DD/MM/YY, MM/DD/YY or YY/MM/DD.

System information

This page shows logger firmware versionand serial number.

Follow this path:

MENU >> System Informationand this page will appear.

CHAPTER 5

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You are going to use Race Studio 2 softwarefor:

• Upgrading the track list • Downloading the test data to your PC• Analyzing the test data

Aim constantly updates Race Studio 2 soft-ware. Each new release is available free to download from our web site www.aim-spor-tline.com, download Area/Software section.

Software InstallationTo install Race Studio 2 software just placethe CD in the proper driver and wait for afew seconds.

The system will ask the user:

• To choose if reading the documentationor installing a software: select the secondoption;

• Which software to install: select Race Studio 2: the installation will start automatically.

RACE STUDIO SOFTWARE

SoloDL Configuration

SoloDL can receive data from your Engine Control Unit.

You can use RaceStudio2 for specifying theECU of your vehicle and for selecting thedesired information.

Once you have verified that the vehicle ECUis supported, just follow this procedurewith SoloDL switched on and connected tothe PC:

• Run Race Studio 2 software• Click on AIM System Manager• Select ECU Manufacturer and model• Enter configuration and vehicle name• Select the desired information to be received

• Press OK.

• Only in case the ECU does not transmitthe engaged gear activate

“System configuration” logger and set “calculated” gears;

• PressTransmit

Please, refer to AIM website www.aim-spor-tline.com >> “ECU connection” area toknow which ECUs are currently supportedby AIM devices.

CHAPTER 6

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We have already underlined that Solocomes with a comprehensive database ofstarting line / split line coordinates.You can easily see the list of coordinates inthe track page; to reach it press>>> or <<< until the page below on theleft appears and then press “VIEW” button.

You will see the tracks nearest to your posi-tion.

You can add new coordinates in two diffe-rent ways:

• Directly through Solo;• Using Race Studio 2. Software

CHAPTER 7 TRACK MANAGEMENT

Adding Starting LineCoordinates directlythrough SoloIt is very easy to add the coordinates of anew starting point:

• Go to the Starting Point with Solo in yourhands

• Select Track page using >>> or <<<buttons

It is very easy to add the coordinates of anew starting point:

• Go to the Starting Point with Solo in yourhands

• Select Track page using >>> or <<<buttons

• Press OK and you are ready to go.

In case you have previously selected a Pointto Point track, you will be asked to add theFinish Point in the same way.

Track Management functionin Race Studio 2You have full management of the track database where you can add or removetrack information.You can manage the list of the tracks insideSolo memory by using the Track Manage-ment feature of Race Studio 2. Select the desired TRACKS from the list andclick on Send to Solo button. Solo will receive the track data in a few seconds.If the track information is not available inthe list, but lap/splits coordinates are

available, please, follow these instructions:

• Click on New button to create a newtrack.

• A panel appears: type in the track name• The new track will appear in the windowleft panel: Select it

• Manually insert the lap coordinates in thewindow bottom left panel.

• If split coordinates are available click on“+” and add as many split as are available and manually fill in the relatedcoordinates;

• Click Save• Click Send to Solo

In a similar way, you can read and modifyTracks information in the Solo memory.

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Solo starts recording when the speed increases.

So, if the vehicle does not move, even withthe engine ON, Solo does not record data.

When Speed start going up, Solo changesmode and starts recording all the data, thatis to say, speed, position and accelerationevery 1/10 of second.

SoloDL, of course, records also , all the information coming from the ECU.

CHAPTER 8 USE OF SOLO DURING THE TESTS

Performance TestsPerformance tests can be ¼ mile, ½ mile, 0-60 mph, 0-100 km/h, 0-1 km.

The vehicle is placed at the starting point.when the car starts, the time increment androlls on the dash and the data are recorded.

When the performance itest finishes, themost important information appear on thedisplay:

Speed RacesAs we have already seen, there are three typesof Lap time information that we can see:

1. Rolling Lap Time, that is shown by default2. Static Lap Time.

The lap time of your last lap remains activeif you select this field.Anyway, the lap time information appearsfor some seconds independently from whatthe display shows, when you cross the starting line.

3. Predictive Lap Time, is evaluated afterhaving finished the first lap.

With >>> or <<< buttons it switches fromone page to the other, according to thenumber of configured pages.

Regularity RacesAs in Speed Races, Solo shows Rolling, Static and Predictive lap time.

The only difference is that it calculates thePredictive Lap Time referred to the speed ofthe Second Lap and shows the PredictiveDifference Time between the Second lapand the Actual one.

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Data Recall

To review data stored in Solo memory, push MEM button. The Data Recall page appears; it isas shown below on the left for “Speed” and “Regularity” mode and can include more pages; forperformance mode however, all data is shown in a page as below:

CHAPTER 9 DATA RECALL

Data in Memory DeletionYou can delete Solo memory in two different ways:

• Follow this path: MENU >> Stored Data >> Clear Test Data and press OK.• After data download with Race Studio 2 software the system will ask you if you aregoing to delete or not delete the logger memory.

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Data download on thePC and Data Analysisthrough Race Studio2

The best way to understand your performance, is to analyse your Solo dataon your PC.

Only with a wide screen can you comparetwo laps, sector after sector, evaluate whenand where you are braking and when youare on and off the throttle.

For this analysis, you can take advantage ofAim highly professional software Race Studio 2.

This software, (that comes free of chargewith your Solo), is constantly upgraded byAim engineers: every new release can beeasily downloaded (free of charge) from theweb site: www.aim-sportline.com

“Download Area” Software section.

The first step is to download the recordeddata to your PC.

CHAPTER 10 DATA DOWNLOAD ON THE PC AND DATA ANALYSIS THROUGH RACE STUDIO2

Data DownloadData Downloading is very simple:

• Connect Solo to your PC• Run Race Studio 2 Software• Click on Download data and followthe instructions.

Data AnalysisRace Studio 2 Analysis software allows youto veiw and analyse the data stored inSolo/SoloDL using different graphs and theGPS images also.

This is an example of Race Studio 2 Analysisview.

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SoloDL Connectionwith SmartyCam

If you have a SoloDL, you can connect itto SmartyCam, to get a powerful system.

Let us introduce SmartyCam, AIM’s on- board camera. Briefly, it records the video, automaticallyadding in the overlay and graphical information about a lot of freely configurable parameters coming from theECU and from GPS.

CHAPTER 11 SOLODL CONNECTION WITH SMARTYCAM

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So, the configuration SoloDL/Smarty-Cam is extremely synergic, since the twosystems can take advantage of featuresfrom each other:

• SmartyCam can read Solo DL parametersfrom ECU

• SmartyCam can read Solo DL GPS andGPS lap time

CHAPTER 11 SOLODL CONNECTION WITH SMARTYCAM

• SoloDL display can show informationabout SmartyCam Status, like the amountof free “microSD” Card memory, battery level, recording status, diagnostic messagesetc.

• SmartyCam can record SoloDL data on its“microSD” Card, for a quicker managementof them.

Later on your PC, you can easily synchronise video and data.

Physical Connection

To connect SoloDL with SmartyCam usethe 5 pin CAN cable provided with Smarty-Cam.

SoloDL configuration of the data streamto SmartyCam

To get data sampled by SoloDL visualisedon SmartyCam videos, you have to take amaximum 16 channels among the data coming from the ECU and send them toSmartyCam. This is done using Race Studio 2 software.

Follow this path:

System Manager >>Solo>>SmartyCam functions setting

And the related panel shown below on theright appears.

It shows on the left the functions that canbe visualised on the SmartyCam videos andon the right the ECU channels you can setthat function on.

Entering the drop down menu you can seesome of the channels coming from the ECUgrouped by type (for instance on WaterTemp function you find all temperaturescoming from the ECU).If you find the channel you need, simply select it and associate it to SoloDL channel.Should the channel you want to set not

appear in the list, enable the bottom checkbox to verify if that channel is provided by your ECU.

Once all channels have been set clickTransmit on top of the page and thesechannels will be automatically sent toSmartyCam.

ECU

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Interaction withSmartyCam

SoloDL is provided with a dedicated Smar-tyCam page showing all the useful information about SmartyCam Status, thatis to say Recording Status, SD card statusand SD card free space as shown below:

SOLO DL CONNECTION WITH SMARTYCAM

To enable this page follow this path:MENU>>Display Setup>>Enable/DisablePages, scroll until finding SmartyCam page:after having enabled it, you can look at itand scroll the pages using VIEW button.

CHAPTER 11

REC STATUSREMAINING SPACE ON SMARTYCAM MICRO SD

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The Solo Team

SOLO TEAM

GIULIO CERIANI OUR CHIEF HARDWARE DESIGNER FOR THE LAST 30YEARS

FRANCESCO BOZZANOPRODUCT-LINE MANAGER, OFFICIAL FIELD TESTER, ANDTHE GUY TO BLAME IF YOURSOLO MALFUNCTIONS

LAURA MILANIELECTRICAL ENGINEER, FIRMWARE DESIGNER, PIANIST VIRTUOSO, MOTHEROF TWO, AND OUR SOFTBALL TEAMCAPTAIN (WITH A .344 BATTING AVERAGE)

DIEGO BOLLANITHE ONLY GUY IN OUROFFICE THAT WENT TO ARTSCHOOL AND WHO ALWAYSKEEPS OUR PRODUCTSLOOKING FRESH

FRANCESCO OTTOVEGGIO FIRMWARE DESIGNER AND OUR RESIDENT GPS EXPERT

PAOLO VIGANOHARDWARE DESIGNER ANDSELF-PROCLAIMED “DA VINCIOF BOARDS”

EMILIANO BINALEAD SOFTWAREDESIGNER AND THE FATHER OF RACE STUDIOANALYSIS

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